Egyptian police arrested five men accused of involvement in the bombing of a police bus in the northern governorate of Beheira last month which killed three police conscripts and injured 27 others.

The interior ministry said in a statement that the attackers "aimed to drive a wedge between the police personnel and the interior ministry, as the explosion took place at the same time as the Sharqiya police personnel protest."

Lower-ranking police had protested in the northern governorate of Sharqiya for two days in August over low salaries and working conditions.